


The Blood, The Water

by MossPrinx



Series: They Come in Twos [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: City Elf Origin, Double Warden AU, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Mage Origin, Surana and Tabris are childhood friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-01-06
Packaged: 2018-09-14 11:37:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9179884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MossPrinx/pseuds/MossPrinx
Summary: Separated by a system built against them and reunited by a Blight of all things, Surana and Tabris find they can't just pick up where they left off all those years ago.A series of misadventures with romance, friendship, and the occasional darkspawn thrown into the mix.





	1. Here and There

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!  
> This is the first part of a series my close friend and I have put a lot of love and pride into developing over the past year or so. We really hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
> 
>  
> 
> The first chapter has scenes from the City Elf origin, so be warned that it does get pretty graphic at some points!

 

               In hindsight, Aereia should have realized sooner. Jowan had been her best friend, her  _ only  _ friend since she arrived in Kinloch Hold, and she  _ should have known  _ that he was practicing blood magic. It wouldn’t have changed anything—she’d still run circles around the circle tower, doing favors and lying through her teeth to make sure he wasn’t turned Tranquil. She’d have done it a hundred times, a thousand, even knowing how the scene would end.                

Aereia was not afraid of the Templars that stood before her, nor the young Grey Warden she had spoken to earlier that day. Being born in an alienage, being born an elf—she grew up learning that she could not fear these humans the way they wanted to be feared.  She did not look away when Irving and Greagoir expressed their disappointment, nor when Jowan confessed to using blood magic. Lily would be taken to Aeonar and as for herself...regardless of her punishment—imprisonment, tranquility, execution for assisting a blood mage—she had met her end. From across the room, she could feel the eyes of the Grey Warden boring into her, and she wondered if he was thankful for his Templar training now.

Irving and Greagoir’s discussion was muffled in her ears, her heart pounding as she recalled almost fondly of how she’d ended up in the damned tower in the first place. The sound of heavy armor shuffling towards them pulled her from her thoughts and she froze instinctively.

“Er… if I may, um, interject?”

Had her life not been in the balance, Aereia might have smiled at the Warden’s awkward attempt at formality.

“We’re also looking to recruit Grey Wardens, as well as the mages for the King’s army. The First Enchanter had a _lot_ of good things about this particular mage and well... I-I’d like to her to join us. The Grey Wardens, that is.”

There was a beat. Greagoir turned to Irving, aghast, while Aereia shot the Warden an equally ridiculous look, causing him to let out a muffled chuckle. Her eyes narrowed at this curious young man; what was he thinking?

“Despite these… unfortunate circumstances, she is very gifted, and has served the tower well previously. She did what she thought was right, helping her friend,” Irving reasoned.

“Her _friend_ was a blood mage!”

Watching Irving stick up for her, even after all she’d done, hurt. The young Warden looked to her before doing an exaggerated cough into a closed fist.

“She’s shown that she is very, ah, dedicated, and has a great desire to help people. There’s no better way to help people than fighting darkspawn!” Aereia couldn’t help but give him credit; he was certainly trying his best to lend her a hand.

“No. She obviously cannot be trusted. She must be properly investigated and tried _here._ You were trained as a Templar, Warden Alistair, _surely_ you know the danger she poses!” Greagoir exclaimed. Everyone’s attention turned back to Warden for a response to Greagoir’s obvious challenge.

“Ah…” And suddenly all eyes were on her. Aereia swallowed, bowing deeply at the waist to all of the men in attendance. “If the Grey Wardens have need of me, then I will gladly go.”

The Warden went to look away before catching himself. “Y-yes, I see. Greagoir, we have bigger things to deal with than blood mages, _surely_ you understand this.”

Aereia and Irving’s eyes both widened at that. Before Greagoir could get a word in, he continued. “I will take responsibility for this young mage’s actions, and she will come with me.”

There was an exchange of words after that, but Aereia could not focus on a single one of them. It wasn’t until she was departing later on that she finally came back to reality.

“What? Having second thoughts?” Warden Alistair joked, watching as she stood unmoving in the door exiting the Tower. For a minute, she took in the outside world, the dark night sky and how it reflected the lake that surrounded the place she called home, turning it into a void she’d seen in her dreams many times. Ten years. It had been _ten years_ since she’d stepped outside the tower, and she was more than a little overwhelmed. Her head spun and her chest hurt, but the Templars at the door ushered her out before she had time to turn tail and beg Greagoir to let her stay.

“Are you… alright?” Looking up, Aereia saw the young Warden crouched over her, brows furrowed with worry. She hadn’t even realized she had fallen to her knees until he reached out to help her up. One finger came up, something the Warden understood meant she needed a minute, as ducked her head and took deep breaths. She reached out after her heart stopped racing a mile a minute, surprised to find that the hand offered to her had yet to be retracted.

“Yes, sorry about that. Thank you, Warden Alistair—you’ve helped me twice now. It seems I am forever in your debt.” The words didn’t sound like her own, a far cry from how she spoke when she first walked through the tower doors, but they were sincere nonetheless. Standing now, they were more or less eye to eye, and she could see the nervousness behind his dark irises.

“You don’t have to speak so formally, you know. I don’t bite,” He laughed, bending to pick up the bag she dropped and ushering her forward. “You can just call me Alistair.”

Admittedly, Alistair was… well, everything she was taught to be wary of as a child. Namely: a human man. But… he seemed sincere in his kindness, at least for the moment. So for now? She’d put her trust in him; if he made her think otherwise…well, she’d dealt with men like that before. She wouldn’t mind being an apostate too much.

“Alright, Alistair,” She gave him a hint of a smile, huffing a laugh when he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Onward, then?”

He sputtered as she went forward, albeit shakily, with the rest of party the King sent with him, watching her for a moment before realizing he was being left behind. “Hey! Don’t leave without me!”

 

\---       

 

Aderyn hadn’t known what to expect when she woke that morning, other than that she was to be married to a man she did not and would not love. Her interests lied in places other than domesticity, like making sure the alienage stayed relatively calm, but mostly safe. Her groom was not a bad man, and though she was not happy about her circumstances, she at least clung to the belief that he would stay kind.

She had not expected to see him dead within the day. But with her luck, perhaps she should’ve.

Her wedding dress was soaked with the blood of human men who believed they held ownership of her body. And at her feet was _her_ man, with whom she had stood before her people in matrimonial celebration. The man who had come all the way from Highever _just_ for her hand. Blood pooled around him, just as it pooled around the guard who cut him down. Despite herself, Aderyn took a moment to kneel beside his body. He had not known her a day, and still he risked his life to come save her and the other abducted women from her alienage. It was almost _his_ alienage too, she reminded herself.

Rummaging through his pockets, she found the gilded ring she was looking for, and before Soris could stop her, she was moving on to the final room on without him.

She did not need to be told that she hadn’t come in time to save Shianni. Vaughan and his guards stood over her and she lay on the floor, no fight left in her. Aderyn has never known a Shianni without her fearlessness, her tenacity. Not until now.

“Alright! Let’s not be too hasty here,” Vaughan says, after noting the lack of guards and the excess of blood left in her wake. Soris was not free of the mess, either, but all eyes were on her. “Surely we can talk this over.”

“ _’Talk this over?_ ’” A particularly spiteful part of her wanted to laugh in his face. So he wanted to talk _now_? After he made it clear she and the other women she grew up with were worth nothing more than what lies between their legs, and how inclined he was to talk at the time? He has said more than he’ll ever need to say, and she’ll be the one to make sure Vaughan never speaks a word ever again.

“Please… just get me out of here. I want to go home…” From her place on the floor, Shianni sniffled and pleaded. Aderyn did not miss the way Soris growled behind her, the ever-cautious man losing his cool.

She watched Vaughan’s eyes flicker to her sword, watching the way her grip tightened. Good. Let him get acquainted with his undoing.

            “Think for a minute!” He tried to schmooze, as if her mind hadn’t been racing since she woke in this place. “Kill me, and you ruin more lives than just your own! By dawn, the city will run red with elven blood. Think about it—you know how this ends.  _ Or _ we could talk this through.”

            His threatening tone did not elude her.

            “You think you can talk what you’ve done away?” The venomous tone that coated her voice almost frightened her, as if it could not have been her own. The message rang true regardless. Vaughan, unsurprisingly, did not like what he heard.

            “Last chance, kill me and destroy everything you love,” he said, backing away as if she was some sort of dangerous, wild animal.

            This time, she did laugh—scoffed, more like. She’d killed all his men and was obviously prepared to take his head, and he still thought anything he had to say mattered. As if reading her thoughts, Soris stepped closer to her side.

            “Maybe… maybe he’s right. What if they purge the alienage again?” Soris piped up. “You think they won’t after what we’ve done? And even then, I don’t want him thinking that anything he said could change these circumstances. Not when it comes to his death. These are  _ my  _ terms now!” she shot back.

            There was a pause.

            “If you think this is best,” Soris conceded, “I’m right beside you.”

            She did not wait for whatever Vaughan felt he had to get in, all she wanted to do was get Shianni out of there. 

            For all their boasting, the two other men went down surprisingly fast against an elf in a wedding dress. She came at them, fury in her eyes. Her blades found the armorless bodies of Vaughan’s underlings and slid through them like warm butter. Oh, how she wished she could take her time with them, but alas, she would settle for Vaughan’s suffering instead. With swift movements and numerous strikes to his legs and torso, the man slumped to his side, his back hitting the wall of his luxurious bedroom. 

            The elven bride towered over his miserable form. She grabbed him by the hair, pulling his head back to an excruciatingly painful degree.

            Aderyn was tempted to cut off Vaughan’s dick and feed it to him. Her dagger down his throat made a fine substitute. He made an entirely undignified gagging sound as the blade went down his esophagus. The curved blade actually managed to pierce his throat from the inside, mangling the depraved man’s mouth and neck. The blade made a sickening  _ schlick _ as she pulled it out of her tormentor’s face.          

            By the time she and Soris had finished what they came to do, Shianni had moved to a far corner, a crumpled heap of a woman. 

“Please don’t leave me,” She cried when Aderyn dropped to her knees and held her. “Please, I just want to go home.”

Aderyn couldn’t stop her own tears, instead looking anywhere but her cousin’s face.  “Of course I won’t leave you, of course I won’t.” 

She could feel herself choking up, swallowing again and again even though there was nothing left in her to keep down.

Lifting Shianni up, she tried to carry her back to the alienage herself—they didn’t make it far before she asked to be put down, leaning on her for support instead. The remaining women followed behind quietly, except for the occasional sob, or a curse aimed at their Maker.

The Hahren and the Grey Warden who had been visiting him shared a look as she and Soris recounted the events at the Arl’s estate. Aderyn was actually a little shocked when neither seemed to disapprove of her actions, as she was certainly beginning to feel the magnitude of them weigh down on her.

“The garrison could already be on their way. You have little time,” The Grey Warden’s voice was grave, but Aderyn could see the wheels in his head turning. It was the same look he had given her when they met earlier—not a predatory one, thankfully, but an almost conspiratorial one that he shared with Valendrian when he thought she wasn’t looking.

“It’s me they want, right?” After all, this was her fault, wasn’t it? Though, if her crime was force-feeding Vaughan her blade or simply being born an elf was becoming hard to distinguish. “Then I’ll— “

“The guards are here!”

Well then. The only time Aderyn remembered the guards being that quick on the draw was when a mage had killed a Templar and, well…she didn’t like to think about those days. Valendrian squeezed her arm comfortingly.

“Don’t panic. Let’s see what comes of this.”

And the guards were upon them. There were only five of them, at least those they could see. But Aderyn knew what damage only five men could do, especially heavily armed ones.

The oldest one at the front spoke. “I seek Valendrian, elder and administrator of the alienage!”

“Here, Captain. I take it you have come due to today’s disruptions.” He was so calm, always so collected. Aderyn felt the doubt bubbling in her chest again, but swiftly squashed it.  Looking back to the Captain of the Guard, she could see that he was not in the mood for beating around the bush.

“Don’t play ignorant with me elder—you will not prevent justice from being done,” His voice was deep, demanding. Turning, the Captain began to address the rest of the elves present. “The Arl’s son lies dead in river of blood that runs through the entire palace! I need names, and I need them _now._ ”

Aderyn only hesitated a moment before stepping forward. “This was my doing.”

The Captain scoffed. “You expect me to believe _one woman_ did all of _that_?”

The young elf held her tongue. _Surely Vaughan thought the same thing,_ she wanted to sneer, _before I shoved my dagger down his throat._

“We are not all so helpless, Captain.”

He watched Valendrian for a minute, looking for insecurity, she’s sure, before finally sighing and turning back to her.

“You saved a lot of lives by coming forward,” He said, and Aderyn nearly crumpled in relief. “I do not envy your fate, but I applaud your courage. This elf will wait in the dungeons until the Arl returns. The rest of you return to your houses.”

And that was that. Aderyn had resigned herself to her fate, laughing at the irony of it all. Before the guard could haul her off, the Grey Warden stepped forward.

“A word, if I may, Captain?”

“What is it, Grey Warden? The situation is under control, as you can see.” He obviously didn’t want to have to be there any longer than necessary.

“Be that as it may, I hereby invoke the Grey Warden’s Right of Conscription. I remove this woman into my custody.”

“You _what_?” Aderyn hadn’t been prepared for that. Neither had anyone else, it seems. When he affirmed his statement again, she couldn’t help but turn to her would-be jailors with a smug grin. “Well, looks like I’m out of your hair, then.”

Muttering a curse under his breath, the Captain of the Guard regarded the Warden with forced formality. “Very well, Grey Warden. I cannot challenge your Rights, but I’ll ask you one thing: get this elf out of this city _today._ ”

“Agreed.” And with that, the guards were gone. No siege on the alienage, no blood running the streets. It was…really that simple. Warden Duncan had let her go say her goodbyes, and they’d be on the road.

 She and Shianni shared their hugs and “I love you’s” and Aderyn didn’t want to leave her, not when she had promised she wouldn’t. But Shianni was strong, she knew that.

           “Make us proud, cousin.” She would.

           Her father was not pleased, but for now his daughter was alive, and the alienage was not burned to the ground, so he didn’t say anything more than necessary.

           “Your mother would be so pleased.” Aderyn held onto those words fondly, kept them close to her chest the entire journey to Ostagar and even longer then. Pulling the wedding ring she had found on Nelaros’ body from a pocket, she slipped it onto its rightful finger, caressing it for strength. Maker, she hoped he was right.


	2. Then...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of what was originally one chapter that got away from me haha;;

           “Don’t go out after dark,” The adults had told them. “Bad things happen. Bad people come out.”

            But they were children, the oldest of them only a little over halfway into his teens, and were prone to a little rebelliousness. They weren’t doing anything _wrong_ , just enjoying the cool night air that followed the dry summer heat. There was something exhilarating about being out after dark. It was mostly childhood whimsicality—nothing exceptionally amazing was happening. There were no dragons to fight, nor any empires to overthrow. For the alienage in Denerim, this is what peace felt like.

            In a well-lit corner of the alienage, they all huddled around as the youngest member showed them a trick she’d learned from her mother.

            Little orbs of light fell from Aereia’s fingers like fluff from a dandelion, falling to the dry dirt at their feet. Her magic was no secret amongst them, the young elf having come into her magic some years earlier. The rest of the group sat in a semicircle, watching in awe. It was a nice cooldown after an intense game of tag in the dark, gossiping and laughing and forgetting the defeated look that all the older elves in the alienage seemed to share. For now, they were friends who didn’t have a thing to worry about—except for getting home unnoticed, that is.

            They all heard the voices of people approaching just a bit too late. Scrambling, they all swatted at their private light show, standing to face whichever adults had stumbled upon their little hideout.

            “What d’we have ‘ere, huh? Bunch a little knife-ears, out so late at night! Didn’t your mommies give you a curfew?”

            Ah. Humans, several of them, all brandishing daggers that glinted even in the low light of the alienage. _“Bad things happen. Bad people come out.”_

            Soris and Shianni stood in front of Aderyn and Aereia, shielding the younger elves from the human’s sight. Obviously it made no difference, but it’s the thought that counts.

            “What, why’re you hiding from us? We just wanna chat!” And then they descended on them. The tall man at the front, obviously the leader, skulked forward, pushing Shianni out of the way. He grabbed a handful of Soris’ short hair, patting him down while Aderyn and Aereia ran to Shianni’s side. Without looking, he gave a command. “Check ‘em, boys.”

            The three other men, each armed with a dagger, grabbed a child. Aderyn thrashed and shouted while Aereia screamed and pleaded for them to leave them alone. To their horror, the man holding the little girl clamped a hand over her mouth hard, forcing her mouth closed tight enough to bring tears to her eyes.

            “ _Hey_ ,” He growled, shaking her violently as he friends watched on. “Don’t you make a fucking sound, you hear? Or we’ll be forced to take _drastic measures._ ”

            It was Shianni, who had been standing still as a statue while a grown man felt around her skirt pockets, who spoke up. “Aereia, just stay quiet and we’ll be fine.”

            She nodded and, satisfied with his successful intimidation, the man released her mouth and checked her pockets. Aderyn seethed, hot tears running down her face as she hoped the thief didn’t check for the _surprise_ in her boots.

           

            “Looks like they don’t have anything on ‘em, huh?”

            It felt like it had been hours since the group had been ambushed. The girls sat huddled on the side of a ramshackle home, Shianni shielding them from the sight of the men pushing and pulling at Soris. None of them made a sound out of fear that the leader would make use of that dagger of his. Soris, for his part, was doing well—he didn’t cry or shout, taking his beating quietly. Looking up, Aderyn and Aereia saw boredom in the leader’s face; that was never good.

            “This’s no fun, right boys?” He waited for their hoots of agreement, smiling when they came. “What’s say we liven this up a bit?”

            Putting away his dagger, he reached to his other hip and pulled out a more ornate one—a _sharper_ one. All four of them blanched.

            “What are you planning?” Shianni whispered, not anticipating him to smile maliciously in her direction.

            “What do the Dalish call you lot?” He asked almost innocently, if not for the way he dragged the tip of the blade along Soris’ ear. “‘Flat ear’?”

            Soris got the message loud and clear. He thrashed wildly, pulling away only to be captured and held down, his head pinned to the side by a large hand as the leader of the thieves crouched over him.

            “You catch on quick kid!” He laughed, reaching for Soris’ ear. Said elf’s shouts were muffled as his face was pushed into the dirt. The girls watched on in horror.

            Growling, Shianni broke out into a sprint, throwing herself and latching onto the back of the closest human. He shouted in confusion, standing up to try and swing her off his back. For a moment, it seemed like all eyes were on them. Aderyn slipped her hand into her boot as the leader laughed. “A feisty one,” he’d exclaimed, turning his attention back to the crying boy beneath him. He had the utmost confidence that Shianni would be no issue.

            As the knife inched closer to Soris’ face, Aderyn found herself frozen, dagger almost entirely out of her boot pocket. She couldn’t move, hands shaking as she watch the blade’s tip run along Soris’ cheek. In the low light of the alienage, she could make out a thin line of blood, stopping her heart in her chest. She stumbled, not realizing she had stood at all; her blade did not go unnoticed this time.

            “Hey!” shouted one of the men, shooting up. Shianni was thrown to the ground with a _thud_ , and time seemed to slow to a near halt as Aderyn struggled to catch her breath. The leader pulled his hands away from Soris, looking to his man, annoyed at another distraction. Through the haze, she could make out more shouts. “She’s got a-”

            …

            …

            For a moment—one _agonizing_ moment—everything was still. All eyes were on the leader of the bunch. Shianni, shielding herself. The man whose foot was still raised to stomp her. The rest of the men, no longer holding Soris down. Soris, too afraid to move. Aderyn, her dagger falling from her grip, and…

            And Aereia.

            She stood, arms stretched out and hands open, as if she were holding something light in each not-quite closed fist.

            Before them stood the human man, mouth open in a silent scream as he was engulfed in flames. Once the blade fell from his hands, time caught up with them, and all hell broke loose. Soris and the man’s followers all scrambled in different directions, the one Shianni attacked hauling ass towards an exit. Shianni reached Soris just as the man’s voice finally caught up with him, his howls echoing across the alienage. The children regrouped, huddling around each other as they watched this man, that likely would have maimed each of them and worse given the chance, burn to death. No one said anything when Aereia finally closed her fists as people came out to investigate, the man going up into a spectacular show of flames before finally hitting the floor.

            “Aereia?” Aderyn finally managed to get out, reaching out to her friend. The mage simply stared at her hands, expressionless, trembling. When she finally made contact, Aereia crumbled to the ground, pulling at her shirt as she struggled to take a breath. She held her for as long as she could, face pressed into her poofy curls as Shianni and Soris came and closed the circle off, the four of them clinging to each other and not letting go until Valendrian himself managed to pull them apart.

           

            Shianni, as usual, was the one who was mature enough to sit down and explain everything to the adults. Aderyn looked around her cramped home, watching everyone’s reactions. She sat huddled close to her father, Soris laying in her bed resting. Behind her, she could hear Aereia’s mother’s quiet sobs as she cradled her only child in her arms in a heap on the floor. Her father was crouched beside them, smoothing his wife’s fully grayed hair as he murmured words of comfort to them. Aereia had barely spoken a word since the four of them watched the charred remains of their attacker get hauled off by some of the adults. The only time she’s spoken since then was to tell her mother that she would stay and face the consequences of her actions, instead of fleeing like her parents wanted. “ _So they don’t hurt anyone else in my place,_ ” she’d said.

            Aderyn felt hot tears welling up at the thought. She promised, she promised, she _promised._ Aereia was never as fast as her, never as strong. She was sweet and docile and Aderyn _promised_ she’d protect her for as long as they knew each other, and even after that. But when it really came to it? She choked. The adults praised them for being so strong when they’re so young, but she hadn’t done a thing. And because of her… because of her hesitance, Aereia had to do such an awful, _awful_ thing. And she would have to live with that for the rest of her life.

 

            The Templars arrived within the week. Two gruff looking men, and a younger one whose eyes flitted around the alienage, nervous. The whole ordeal was a quick one. Her parents had said their goodbye’s earlier, watching from their window as their only daughter was retrieved. Soris and Shianni stood behind Aereia, Aderyn by her side, as they offered her some last moments of comfort. Valendrian stepped forward, meeting the Templars first.

            “Are you the men sent to retrieve the child?” Though his voice was calm, Aderyn could see his arms tensing as he opened and closed fists at his side, as if squashing any malicious feelings before they could make it to the surface. _Good_ , she thought—because she was angry too, angry that her friend was being taken away for protecting them, angry that it wasn’t _her_.

            “Addy?” The young elf hadn’t realized she’d been glaring at the floor. Small, soft hands touched her cheeks, rubbing away the stray tears that escaped her and suddenly, she was too embarrassed to look up. “Everything will be okay, Addy.”

            It didn’t sound right, coming from her. Her voice was so small, it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself. Scooping her up into a hug, Aderyn couldn’t stop the tears that fell as she embraced the younger child. Two more taller bodies pulled them into a crushing group hug, Soris sobbing and apologizing and Shianni sniffling as she promised to keep an eye on Aereia’s parents.

            Someone clearing their throat caught their attention. It was the younger Templar, his brow furrowed as he looked on. Was he uncomfortable seeing so many elves at once? Seeing them outside the box he created for them to fit into in his mind, expressing love and sadness? Other elves had come out at this point, all eyes on the Templars from their respective doorways. Aderyn glared back at his judgmental gaze.

            “T-the mage,” He said as he walked up to them, flinching at his own stuttering. “She needs to come with us now.”

            “Aderyn,” Aereia’s eyes were misty but her cheeks were dry, a sad smile making her look much older than 11. She held a plump pinky out, ignoring the young Templar for just a moment. “Promise me we’ll always be friends?”

            Wiping the residual wetness from her cheeks, Aderyn put on a strong face and locked her pinky with her friend’s. “Cross my heart.”

           

            Aderyn watched her leave, sat and stared at the gate separating them from the humans and hoped Aereia never had to see the worst of them. Her pinky stayed extended, too afraid to let it curl back in and lose the feeling. Because they both knew, _everyone knew,_  the second Aereia left the alienage, she would never come back.


End file.
